The project OncoCervScreen received the 1st prize in the "Researchers" category at the H-INNOVA: Health INNOVAtion HUB competition held during the Digital Health Summit 2024, which took place in Funchal, Madeira, on November 26-27, 2024.
This innovative project is led by PhD students from the Bioengineering of Therapeutic Proteins Research Lab at UCIBIO-NOVA, Diana Gomes and João Silva, from the University of Beira Interior, with mentorship from Ângela Sousa (CICS-UBI/RISE-Health-UBI) and Luís Passarinha, leader of the Bioengineering of Therapeutic Proteins Lab. OncoCervScreen aims to develop a versatile self-collection kit for the early detection of cervical cancer, addressing a critical need in women's health.
The team was awarded a monetary prize of €2,000 and mentoring support valued at €5,000. This includes access to guidance from experienced professionals in business model development, funding, and entrepreneurship, providing significant support for the project's future development.
H-INNOVA: Health INNOVAtion HUB is an ACCELERATOR for fostering innovation for HEALTH SECTOR involving Universities, Research Centers, Hospitals and Reference Companies/Organizations in an integrated ecosystem. The initiative promotes health innovation through the development of projects with the potential to create new business models, products, and services in areas such as digital transformation, artificial intelligence, IoT, machine learning, Big Data, and preventive healthcare. It also supports the acceleration of startups within hospital environments, both physical and virtual, and facilitates knowledge transfer by fostering collaboration between leading academic institutions, research centers, and organizations, bridging the gap between academia and the business world to drive meaningful advancements in healthcare.